Collapsed Jeongjagyo Bridge, Morning and Afternoon Student Commute Route... Pedestrian Bridge Is Dangerous

The collapse of the pedestrian walkway section of Jeongja Bridge, which crosses Tancheon in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province on the 5th, adds to the shock as it was a route commonly used by elementary, middle, and high school students commuting to school. Concerns about the safety of facilities are growing as accidents continue to occur on pedestrian walkways such as bridges and overpasses.

According to the fire department and police, around 9:45 a.m. on the 5th, about 50 meters of the pedestrian walkway on Jeongja Bridge suddenly collapsed. Jeongja Bridge is a six-lane bridge constructed in 1993 alongside the development of Bundang New Town, featuring pedestrian walkways on both sides of the road. The total length is 108 meters, and the width is 26 meters.

As a result of the accident, a woman in her 40s who was passing on the pedestrian walkway was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest but died. Another male pedestrian in his 20s was seriously injured and taken to the hospital. The two casualties are reported to have fallen down as the pedestrian walkway collapsed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Immediately after the accident, guardrails and signposts from the bridge fell onto the walking path, and a water pipe was also ruptured. Authorities have blocked two-way traffic on Jeongja Bridge and are managing the accident scene while investigating the specific cause of the collapse. After the accident, eyewitness accounts circulated on social media (SNS), stating that "a utility pole near Jeongja Bridge in Bundang fell, causing the sidewalk to collapse."

Jeongja Bridge is a facility subject to the Special Act on the Safety and Maintenance of Facilities, requiring a detailed inspection every two years and a regular inspection every six months. According to Seongnam City, Jeongja Bridge was rated C (normal), indicating some parts of the bridge deck required repairs during a detailed inspection in May 2021. Subsequently, floor slab repairs were carried out from August to December 2022, and a regular inspection conducted immediately after the repairs rated the bridge B (good).

The exact cause of the accident will need to be investigated, but poor construction is suspected as one of the causes of the collapse. A civil engineering expert stated, "Looking at photos of the accident site, the rebar in the collapsed part of the bridge has completely come out. This indicates poor construction," adding, "Reinforced concrete should be integrated with rebar and cement, but it seems only the pedestrian walkway section was cut and fell off."

There is also an analysis that the collapse occurred due to a combination of structural defects and aging of the bridge. Professor Kim Jang-ho of the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering at Yonsei University explained in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 6th, "It is called a reinforced concrete slab bridge, where the slab is placed on piers below. In the case of Jeongja Bridge, the pedestrian walkway is slightly detached from the pier," adding, "(The walkway) is floating without support from the pier."

He continued, "Moreover, streetlights are installed there, so it bears a heavy load while being unsupported. After about 30 years, aging occurs, causing the section to fall and a penetrating type of failure to happen."

Meanwhile, concerns about accidents are increasing as safety incidents continue to occur on bridges and overpasses. On January 3rd, a similar accident occurred when the Dorim Pedestrian Overpass in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, sagged like a noodle.

Fortunately, no casualties occurred, but it was revealed that there had been citizen complaints doubting the safety of the overpass before its collapse, exposing a poor management system.

The Jeongja Bridge collapse occurred after the morning school commute time when fewer students were passing. Had it collapsed during peak student traffic, it could have resulted in a major disaster. The problem is that many bridges similar in structure to Jeongja Bridge still exist. If structural safety issues are confirmed, other bridges will also need to be examined for safety concerns.

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